Facebook Launches Tools to Prevent Spread of ‘Revenge Porn’

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Facebook Launches Tools to Prevent Spread of ‘Revenge Porn’

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Today, Facebook announced efforts to battle “revenge porn” – that is, the sharing of intimate images without consent. The social media giant is rolling out tools to report and curb the spread of these types of images.

Users can report suspicious images, which are then vetted by Facebook staffers. The company says it will deploy “photo-matching technologies” to recognize if users are trying to share the image again — across Facebook and its Messenger and Instagram apps — and stop them from doing so.

“If someone tries to share the image after it’s been reported and removed, we will alert them that it violates our policies and that we have stopped their attempt to share it,” Antigone Davis, head of global safety, wrote in a blog post. “We also partner with safety organizations to offer resources and support to the victims of this behaviour.”

The platform’s use as a mechanism for the spread of “revenge porn” came to light during a scandal earlier in the year, when it was revealed that United States Marines were sharing nude and invasive photos of women, including their colleagues, in a private Facebook group.

Facebook worked closely with the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative and other companies to create a safer environment on their social network. They’re now providing the victims and others with a robust set of tools and guides to report such instances.

“Additionally, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Center for Social Research, the Revenge Porn Helpline (UK) and the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative provided input and feedback throughout the product-development process,” the blog post continued.